Groundwater Quality in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015
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Prepared in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Groundwater Quality in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015 Open-File Report 2019–1005 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover. View of the landscape in the Delaware River Basin. Photograph by Elizabeth Nystrom, U.S. Geological Survey. Groundwater Quality in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015 By Tia-Marie Scott, Elizabeth A. Nystrom, and James E. Reddy Prepared in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Open-File Report 2019–1005 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey James F. Reilly II, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2019 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://store.usgs.gov. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Scott, T.-M., Nystrom, E.A., and Reddy, J.E., 2019, Groundwater quality in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019–1005, 42 p., 2 app., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191005. ISSN 2331-1258 (online) iii Acknowledgments The authors extend thanks and appreciation to all well owners who gave permission to sample their wells. Thanks are also extended to our contacts at the New York State (NYS) Department of Environmental Conservation, NYS Department of Health, county departments of health, and to all of the public water supply personnel who provided information and help with this study. Additionally, the authors would like to extend thanks and appreciation to U.S. Geological Survey personnel James Tucci, Daniel Edwards, and Benjamin Fisher for their work collecting the samples. v Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Objective and Approach ......................................................................................................................2 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................3 Hydrogeologic Setting .........................................................................................................................3 Delaware River Basin .................................................................................................................3 Genesee River Basin ...................................................................................................................3 St. Lawrence River Basin ...........................................................................................................8 Methods of Investigation ............................................................................................................................14 Well Selection .....................................................................................................................................14 Sampling Methods ..............................................................................................................................14 Analytical Methods.............................................................................................................................15 Quality-Control Samples ....................................................................................................................18 Groundwater Quality ...................................................................................................................................19 Physiochemical Properties ...............................................................................................................19 Dissolved Gases ..................................................................................................................................23 Major Ions and Dissolved Solids ......................................................................................................24 Nutrients and Total Organic Carbon ................................................................................................26 Trace Elements ....................................................................................................................................28 Pesticides .............................................................................................................................................31 Volatile Organic Compounds .............................................................................................................31 Radionuclides ......................................................................................................................................32 Bacteria ................................................................................................................................................32 Comparison of Results From Wells Sampled in 2005–6, 2010, and 2015 ....................................34 Summary........................................................................................................................................................35 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................36 Appendix 1. Results of Water-Sample Analyses, 2015 .......................................................................42 Appendix 2. Results of Water-Sample Analyses, 2005–6, 2010, and 2015 .......................................42 Figures 1. Map showing topography and geography of the Delaware River Basin, New York .........4 2. Map showing generalized bedrock geology of the Delaware River Basin, New York, and locations of wells sampled in 2015 .....................................................................................5 3. Map showing generalized surficial geology of the Delaware River Basin, New York, and locations of wells sampled in 2015 .....................................................................................6 4. Map showing topography and geography of the Genesee River Basin, New York ..........7 5. Map showing generalized bedrock geology of the Genesee River Basin, New York, and locations of wells sampled in 2015 .....................................................................................9 6. Map showing generalized surficial geology of the Genesee River Basin, New York, and locations of wells sampled in 2015 ...................................................................................10 7. Map showing topography and geography of the St. Lawrence River Basin, New York ......................................................................................................................................11 8. Map showing generalized bedrock geology of the St. Lawrence River Basin, New York, and locations of wells sampled in 2015 ...............................................................12 9. Map showing generalized surficial geology of the St. Lawrence River Basin, New York, and locations of wells sampled in 2015 ...............................................................13 vi Tables 1. Previous groundwater-quality studies and reports of the rotating-basin groundwater monitoring program in New York .......................................................................2 2. Description of wells from which water samples were collected in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015 .................................................16 3. Summary of 46 wells from which water samples were collected in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015 .................................................18 4. Constituents that exceeded primary, secondary, and (or) proposed drinking-water standards in groundwater samples collected in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015 ...........................................................................20 5. Summary statistics for physiochemical properties of and dissolved gases in groundwater samples collected in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015 .............................................................................................................22 6. Drinking-water standards for physiochemical properties and dissolved gases and number of groundwater samples exceeding those standards collected in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015 ..............................23 7. Summary statistics for concentrations of major ions, hardness, alkalinity, and dissolved solids in groundwater samples